16 April 2008

Tom Otterness is from Wichita, Kansas. He's a sculptor whose works adorn parks in New York – most notably in Rockefeller Park in Battery Park City and in the 14th Street 8th Avenue subway station – as well as other cities around the world. He's recently installed some shit in DUMBO as well.

His style is very cartoonish and cheerful, and the forms of his sculptures often consist of many blobs and pipes, giving them a humorous look. These sculptures depict, among other things, huge pennies, pudgy characters in business suits with moneybag heads, helmeted workers holding giant tools, and crocodiles crawling out from under sewer covers. The main theme of his work seems to be the struggle of the little man against the Capitalist machine in a difficult and strange city.

Yeah well while part of the East Village art scene in the mid-eighties Tom Otterness shot a dog and called it art.

In the infamous "Shot Dog Piece" Otterness adopted a dog and then shot it to death for the fun of recording his infantile, sadistic depravity on film.

Otterness commented that "In 1977, I was a young artist having a very rough time. I had anger at myself and at the world. What I did was symbolic of how I was feeling internally and it is something I would never do today."

What he did was unfuckingforgivable and vile.

Tom Otterness is an atrocity. A coward. A fine example of human garbage.

Please don't hesitate to call Tom and let him know how you feel. I'm sure he'll be glad to hear from you. He can be reached at 718-802-0074.

THANK YOU! I am shocked he has flown under the radar for so long with this. His reward time is over time to pay for his hatred. His limp apology is nothing, NEVER in all my life would I have done something so vile. Why is he being rewarded? I hope the free money he gets from taxes is over. It's one thing if people want to support trash like him with their own money but another to find our money is robbed from us to support him. I want my MONEY given the the SHELTERS to help the animals not the "artist" who killed an innocent animal. Think of the joy that poor dog felt being adopted, the love he felt, the little dog smile following his new "dad"- then shot for fun by this scum. It is unforgivable. He has stolen enough public funds, it needs to stop now.

Wow he can't be bothered to use our Taxes to conjour something new! Seriously is this psycho just laughing at everyone as he counts his free money and fairytales and sculpts himself into his work? Who else are all those money bag creatures supposed to be?

The fact that he was physically and mentally CAPABLE of committing SUCH a heinous act is unforgivable.

His statements of remorse are weak and transparent. Actions speak louder than words. No one in their right mind would or could do that to a defenseless living creature. No one. He is no better than a murderer, a pedophile or a rapist. They're all fucked up and saying "sorry" for something such as that is too little, too late.

Its not the act of forgiveness or the admittance of guilt or regret, its the FACT that he was capable of doing such a thing. And that renders everything he does or says absolutely useless.

He was a starving artist in NYC? wow. haven't heard that before.

Imagine if all the starving artists in NYC turned to killing dogs as art?

He's only apologizing now because he got caught. People started talking about it, so the PR move is to make a statement and say you're sorry. If he were really sorry, he would have been giving huge sums of the money he gets from our tax dollars to local shelters. If he actually did something to try to make it right (not sure that's possible, but a concerted effort to make amends would go a long way), maybe he's deserve forgiveness. But just saying he's sorry and making a lame excuse 30 years after the fact isn't enough to convince me.

I love the "anon" defenses I see around. Yes it is gross to align yourself with such trash it's probably just one person who stands to lose money. Thank you for bloggers for making people aware. Keep it up because you know he is going to be out there scamming more states in the future into paying him acting like he is so sweet and whimsical and I wonder if the people in all those states trying to support their families like seeing those taxes deducted and being funneled into Tom's pockets. Take a look at your checks and wonder how you'll pay rent and just know your money went to help old Tom here be nice and comfortable while you struggle.

Another thing to remember, he says the act happened in 1977, but the thing was shown in an art show in the mid eighties..! so a decade later he is still so proud of this he shows it off? How sorry is he again?

I seriously can't believe that Wichita State has nothing better to do with $450,000 plus $150,000 in "shipping" in STUDENT FEES than to pay this scum. No equipment to buy? No lower income students to help? They want to take those student's money and PAY TOM? Who the heck is running that school- one of Tom's relatives?

Who are these crazies who think it would be a great idea to raise money to pay someone who killed a dog for attention and not give it to the school? Think of the money going into his tax money lined pockets (he is a millionaire now off of government money) and then think of what good it could have done the school and all the great things it could have gotten for the children.

And if they really want to spend money on decorative lions then how about out of a whole world of wonderful artists they pick one that used hard work and skill to get noticed not murdering an innocent animal.

Here is the article:http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_268/undercover.html

Otterness lionsTom Otterness, whose distinctive whimsical brass sculptures adorn Rockefeller Park and other parts of the city, may soon have a new project on his plate.

Several parents want Otterness to design a pair of glass lions to guard the entrance of the new Battery Park City library, which will open in 2010.

Dennis Gault, outgoing P.T.A. president at P.S. 89, and Tom Goodkind, a C.B. 1 member, are pushing for the lions because local children have already fallen in love with Otterness’s sculptures in Rockefeller Park, outside of P.S. 234 and elsewhere in the city.

Otterness agreed to make the sculptures at cost, meaning they could be more affordable than the community would expect, Goodkind told UnderCover. Otterness is in touch with the architects designing the Riverhouse condo building where the library will sit, and he will make a presentation to Community Board 1’s Battery Park City Committee July 1.

One group that didn’t jump on board is the P.S. 89 P.T.A., except for Gault. The rest of the P.T.A. preferred to reserve their efforts for fundraising that goes directly to the school, not to the library.

And while UnderCover would never look a gift lion in the mouth, we have to point out that some of Otterness’s past work is less savory than this feel-good project for school kids: Back in the ’70s, he adopted a stray dog, whom he killed on film, but the “artist” subsequently said he would never repeat such a heinous act again.

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(remember folks he may have filmed it in the 70's at 25, but he was still so proud of it he showed it off in the 80's as a video loop)

What idiots are responsible for the installation of his "work" over the downtown area? I don't find it whimsical or intelligent, it's pathetic and creepy. Rechanneling the sadism into bad art and making us all pay for it.....

stupid dog was probably barking all night like my neighbors dog.... oh and our government drops bombs on innocent civilians and no one blinks an eye but someone kills a stupid dirty dog and everyone is up in arms calling for his head- lol what a bunch of hypocrites and idiots

I'm thinking of making a rather compelling film. You know, something that will intrigue and really make people think. It'll also make one feel good all over. It has a warm and snuggly ending. It's called "Tom Otterness Shot". What makes this film something people will want to watch over and over is the process of death from a bullet wound to his head. All I need now is to purchase a Tom Otterness from a shit center. I hear there might be one in New York. I did have some inner-conflict over whether he should be tethered to a post, but that feeling soon passed. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a very sad sign of our times....people constantly being rewarded for bad behaviour. I think Mr. Otterness should be buried at sea with Osama.

I'm sure all of you "Never Forget, Never Forgive" idiots NEVER did anything cruel and wished you hadn't once you gained some maturity. You little angels set your selves up as the epitome of god-like perfection to dictate who may be forgiven and when that forgiveness may be bestowed. Instead of denying our community the chance to get some great art (donated, no less) from an imperfect man who has shown regret why don't you do something positive for the neighborhood? You could start by demanding dog owners curb their dogs and advocate fines for letting a dog defecate and/or urinate on the sidewalks. We gotta walk here.

No talent scum, he makes real artists cringe...this guy is fucking disgrace! As if his actions weren't disgusting enough the thought that this dog was adopted from a shelter..given the hope of a home...makes want to vomit. NO I dont want your apology I want your fucking head on a stick!

This no talent scum not only killed an innocent animal but deliberately and maliciously adopted one under the pretenses of giving him a home. Nothing was ever done about this? Money talks...I want to his head on a stick! That would be a great sculpture.

SOme guy shot a dog 30 years ago and called it art (it was 1977). It wasn't even a crime at the time. Statue of limitations has long expired, fellas. The guy has even publicly and profusely apologized. Get over it.

what this man did thirty years ago (crime or not) was a cruel and violent act that anyone knows was wrong. Sure we have all done things we regret, but a weak explaination is not a sign of remorse. The man should not be rewardsed when there are many other Artist out there that could do the work and have not caused such pain.how about we reward those that are humane instead.We have no real reason to forgive and forget this mans actions when others are more deserving.